Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

orient

/ˈɔ.ɹi.ənt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.44 in modern English

Syllables
or-i-ent
IPA
/ˈɔ.ɹi.ənt/
6
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

name

Usually preceded by the: alternative letter-case form of Orient (“a region or a part of the world to the east of a certain place; countries of Asia, the East (especially East Asia)”)

noun

The part of the horizon where the sun first appears in the morning; the east.

noun

A pearl originating from the Indian region, reputed to be of great brilliance; (by extension) any pearl of particular beauty and value.

Obsolete

noun

The brilliance or colour of a high-quality pearl.

adj

Rising, like the morning sun.

Dated

adj

Of the colour of the sky at daybreak; bright in colour, from red to yellow.

Dated

adj

Of, facing, or located in the east; eastern, oriental.

adj

Of a pearl or other gem: of great brilliance and value; (by extension) bright, lustrous.

Example Sentences

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English orient, oriente, oryent, oryente, oryentte (“the east direction; eastern horizon or sky; eastern regions of the world, Asia, Orient; eastern edge of the world”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman orient, oriente, and Old French orient (“east direction; Asia, Orient”) (modern French orient), or directly from its etymon Latin oriēns (“the east; daybreak, dawn; sunrise; (participle) rising; appearing; originating”), present active participle of orior (“to get up, rise; to appear, become visible; to be born, come to exist, originate”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃er- (“to move, stir; to rise, spring”). The adjective is derived from Middle English orient (“eastern; from Asia or the Orient; brilliant, shining (characteristic of jewels from the Orient)”), from Middle English orient (noun); see above.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈɔ.ɹi.ənt/
  • British English: /ˈɔː.ɹɪ.ənt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

orients (plural) orients (present, singular) orienting (participle, present) oriented (participle, past) oriented (past)

Derived Forms

oriency oriently orientness biorient disorient disorientate misorient nonorientable nonoriented orientability orientable orientate

Phrases

Orient Express Orient Point

Frequently Paired Words

orientalism orientalist oriental orienteer orienteering origin orientalia Orient Express

Synonyms

East Orient red aglow alight beamful beamsome beamy brilliant effulgent glowing illuminating lambent

Antonyms

occident ponent West occidental disorient disorientate

Rhymes With

disorient

Questions

How do you pronounce orient?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɔ.ɹi.ənt/.
What does orient mean?
Usually preceded by the: alternative letter-case form of Orient (“a region or a part of the world to the east of a certain place; countries of Asia, the East (especially East Asia)”)
Where does orient come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce orient

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “orient”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɔ.ɹi.ənt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “orient”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “orient” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.